Clean eating marshmallows
Posted: September 30, 2010 Filed under: Beverages, Breakfast, Brunch, Candy, Clean eating, Holiday Recipe Leave a comment »WOW these couldnt be easier or tastier! And bonus, they are clean!! Perfect to pair with your hot cocoa recipe (clean eating recipe to come soon!) From the Gracious Pantry these are a HIT!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
6 tbsp water
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1 cup agave
2 tsp mexican vanilla extract-I used one vanilla bean
Directions:
Stir gelatin into water in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
While that’s in the microwave, pour your agave into a mixing bowl. Add vanilla. Add warm gelatin/water mixture.
Blend for 12-15 minutes until the mixture is white and fluffy and has quadrupaled in size.
Coat a casserole dish with cornstarch. Scoop marshmallow mixture into casserole dish and smooth top so it’s level with a spatula.
Let sit for a minimum of 3 hours. Overnight is best.
Turn out onto a surface dusted with cornstarch. Slice into desired size.
Store in a plastic bag.
Crab nachos (Clean eating)
Posted: September 29, 2010 Filed under: Appetizer, Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Mexican, Quick, Snack Leave a comment »Our love of Clean Eating Mag goes on. This recipe would be perfect as a snack, appetizer, dinner (as we had it), tailgate dish, etc. We loved this. It was quite easy to make and can easily be made into larger batches!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
cooking spray, extra virgin olive oil, 1 serving
2 whole wheat pitas
1/2-1 tsp cumin seeds-I used gr cumin just fine but only used 1/2 tsp
1/2 bell pepper, chopped small
1 cup fresh baby spinach, thinly sliced
8 oz crabmeat
3 tbsp Sour Cream-I used 0% Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Mozzarella Cheese, whole milk, 3 oz-I used lower fat preshredded
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Slice your pita into wedges (I then separated each pita pocket in half as well) (16-24 wedges, depending on your preferred size). Arrange wedges in a single layer on baking sheet, and toast in the oven for 2-3 minutes until crisp.
Combine pepper, spinach, cumin, cayenne, crabmeat, sour cream, and salt and pepper if desired, in bowl, and mix well. Sour cream should coat other ingredients.
Place mixture on pita wedges. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until mozzarella melts and topping is warm. Serve immediately.
Cajun scallops with spicy mango salsa
Posted: September 28, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick 1 Comment »I am NOT a scallop fan, but my H is. So every once in a while, I remember that fact and pick some up for him for dinner. Normally, I make myself shrimp when he has scallops because I find most shrimp and scallop recipes are similar, so no extra prep needed. You can swap shrimp and scallops easily. But for some reason, this recipe from Clean Eating Mag, sounded appealing to me as the scallop version. Overall, I would have preferred shrimp, but this time the scallops didnt turn me off totally! I ended up really liking this as H loved it too! SCORE!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
Juice 1 lime
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1.5 lbs. sea scallops
Olive oil or Canola oil cooking spray
Cajun Rub
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, mango, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over tomato mixture and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside in refrigerator.
Combine all Cajun Rub ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Pat scallops dry with paper towel and season both sides with rub. Lightly mist skillet with cooking spray. Add scallops and cook for 2 minutes per side. Serve with mango salsa, garnishing with additional cilantro, if desired.
Nutrition per serving (3 or 4 scallops and 3/4 Cup salsa)
Calories: 213, Total Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat: 0.25 g, Carbs: 19 g, Fiber: 2.5 g, Sugars: 10 g, Protein: 30 g, Sodium: 569 mg, Cholesterol: 56 mg
Candy bar shortbread cookies
Posted: September 27, 2010 Filed under: Bars-dessert and cookie, Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert, Halloween, Holiday Recipe, Quick 3 Comments »What an easy but fun dessert from Martha Stewart. This recipe can be adapted to any candy you enjoy and for any holiday or event! I like the use of Reese’s Pieces because it reminds me of Halloween! I also used Kit-Kats and Snickers bars to add variety and fun to it! Choose your favorite candy and enjoy! At the bottom you can see how I used 3 different candy bars. I quartered it and each had their own section and then I put all three together in the 4th spot!! 
I hope our friend’s son enjoys these!!!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
tsp salt if using unsalted butter, leave out if using salted butter
2 cups AP flour
1 cup chocolate chips
12 oz favorite candy bars, chopped if needed-I used Reese’s Pieces, Kit-Kats, and Snickers.
DIrections:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 inch baking pan (I lined with foil for easy release)
Cream butter and light brown sugar and salt about 3 mins. Once creamed, add in flour in 3 additions, blending well in between each addition. (It will be a bit crumbly).
Add to prepared pan and bake for 30-35 mins (until golden brown and firm). Add chocolate chips on top and place back into oven for a minute more. Take out of oven and with an offset spatula, smooth out the melted chocolate chips. Add candy bar pieces and let cool on wire rack for 30 mins. Then pop into fridge to firm up for a couple minutes before cutting. You should get 16 bars. (I cut mine larger and got 12!!! LOL).
Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
Posted: September 24, 2010 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Italian, Light and healthy, Pasta, Quick Leave a comment »I love chicken bruschetta, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. It does make a lot so I cut it in half for us! Great weeknight meal as it is quick to make!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 box whole wheat thin spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
Oregano and basil (fresh or dried) to taste
Shredded Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, salt to taste
Directions:
Marinate chicken in 1/2 cup (more or less as needed) balsamic vinegar at least 30 min. (I skipped this part and just brushed some balsamic on the chcipe before cooking)
Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until white all the way through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to plate.
Return skillet to burner, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Sauté garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and herbs. Heat until sauce is slightly reduced and tomatoes softened (about 2 minutes). Add pasta and chicken to tomato mixture and heat until warmed (about 2-3 minutes), tossing/stirring to fully incorporate. Serve topped with fresh basil.
Clean eating grilled balsamic glazed pork chops and grilled nectarines
Posted: September 23, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Grilled, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Pork, Quick 3 Comments »We have had a ton of chicken and fish lately, so when I saw pork chops on sale at the store, I grabbed them up. I also am in LOVE with nectarines, so this recipe was just calling my name. Found on Ingredients Inc, I loved the idea of grilling the fruit with it. I have never done that before and love it!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 pounds thinly sliced boneless pork loin chops
Cooking spray
3 nectarines, halved and pitted
Fresh rosemary
Directions:
Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place pork in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour balsamic marinade over pork. Marinate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Grill pork on medium-high heat on a lightly greased grill rack or grill pan 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Grill nectarines 1 minute on each side or until nice grill marks appear. Garnish with fresh rosemary, if desired.
Stuffed Chicken with spicy roasted red pepper sauce (Clean eating)
Posted: September 22, 2010 Filed under: Chicken, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Low Carb Leave a comment »MMMMMMMM this was fabulous, I mean FABULOUS! This did make a lot of sauce that I froze for future use. This sauce would be great over pasta, fish or as it was chicken! Clean eating mag has done it again with this great recipe that does take some time to make, but totally worth it. I did make the sauce ahead of time and put it all together when we were ready to eat! Freeze extra sauce for later!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
sea salt, ground black pepper to taste
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp goat cheese
6-8 asparagus spears
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast peppers, turning after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place in an inverted glass bowl covered in plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes, then peel and seed peppers and slice them lengthwise. Set aside 4-6 strips.
Place the remaining strips of bell peppers, oil, vinegar, broth, garlic, and jalapeno into a blender (I used my food processor) and blend up. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, lay the chicken on a cutting board and butterfly it. Open the chicken breast open until it is flat, then layer in the goat cheese, asparagus spears, and bell peppers. Close the chicken and place it into a casserole dish. Cover the chicken with half of the above sauce and place it in the 400 degree oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Pour the additional sauce over top the chicken to serve.
Baklava Muffins
Posted: September 21, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Holiday Recipe, Muffins 3 Comments »It is like dessert for breakfast! This was easy to make but very very good. Paired with a great cup of coffee, this has made mornings special!! I try to minimize my treats but this one I just cant say no to! Found on Cate’s World, these would be a great brunch, holiday or special moment breakfast!
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
filling
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp melted butter
muffins
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp melted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
1/4 cup honey
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line muffin wells or butter generously.
Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix gently with a fork.
Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each 1/3 of the way with batter, top with a spoonful of filling, then top with more batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, brush each with about 1 tsp of honey, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Agave Banana Muffins
Posted: September 20, 2010 Filed under: Breakfast, Brunch, Clean eating, Light and healthy, Muffins, Quick 1 Comment »A perfect breakfast or snack that isnt just delicious, but also follow clean eating! Found on All recipes, this was easy to make. I did make some changes to adapt to our liking.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg-I used some nutmeg and some cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup oil
6 tablespoons agave
1/2-1 cups chopped walnuts
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the eggs, banana, oil and agave then stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the nuts.
Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray (I used liners); fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Grilled Tuna Steaks
Posted: September 17, 2010 Filed under: Clean eating, Fish/seafood, Grilled, Light and healthy, Low Carb, Quick Leave a comment »In an effort to branch out our fish/seafood dinners and eat more of a variety, I picked up some tuna steaks. These are quick to make and are fantastic and not too bad for you either.
ENJOY!
Ingredients:
Soy Sauce
Brown Sugar
Salt and pepper
Evoo
Tuna Steaks 3-4 oz. each
Directions:
Heat grill pan. While heating, brush fish with a bit of soy sauce and sprinkle on a small bit of brown sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 2-3 mins per side for rare, 4-5 for medium. More if you prefer well done, but rare is the best here. Serve immediately
